Buried Alive #1

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

INTRODUCTION

WE GATHER THIS FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, AWARE THIS VERY SEASON REPRESENTS THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST

NEW BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN YEAR......APPRECIATING THE WILL OF GOD EVEN IN THESE DARK AND

SOMETIMES DESPERATE TIMES........ONE OF MY NEWEST DEVOTIONAL COMPANIONS FOR THIS FOUR SUNDAY

JOURNEY DEFINES ADVENT THIS WAY:

ADVENT IS FUNDAMENTALLY AND UNQUESTIONABLY A STORY OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS TO US IN AND

THROUGH THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. IT IS TOO GLORIOUS A STORY FOR US TO IMAGINE AND MORE

LAVISHLY EXTRAVAGANT THAN WE CAN BEGIN TO FATHOM. THOUGH ADVENT IS AN INVITATION THAT

INVITES RESPONSE, ITS ARRIVAL IS ENTIRELY INDEPENDENT OF OUR ABILITY TO CONTROL OR CONTRIVE.

IN FACT, ADVENTUS, THE LATIN WORD FROM WHICH THIS GREAT SEASON RECEIVES ITS NAME, MEANS

‘ARRIVAL.’ IN MANY WAYS THIS IS A LENS THROUGH WHICH WE CAN READ THE STORY OF SCRIPTURE. THE

ENTIRE BIBLE IS FILLED WITH MOMENTS OF GOD’S ARRIVAL, GOD’S BREAKING IN TO THE STORY OF

CREATION AND BREATHING LIFE WHERE THERE IS DEATH, PEACE WHERE THERE IS CHAOS, AND HOPE....YES

HOPE BELOVEDS, WHERE THERE IS DESPAIR.

FOR ALL THE BEAUTY THIS NEW SEASON OF THE CHURCH YEAR BRINGS, ALL THE TWINKLING LIGHTS, &

BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED TREES, ALL THE SPECIAL MUSIC AND DELICIOUS TREATS TO EAT AND DRINK, FOR ALL

THE VARIETIES OF SEASONAL COLORS IN OUR CLOTHES AND THE SPECIAL WAYS STORES AND STREETS AND

HOMES SEEM TO SHINE IN STELLAR WAYS.......THEOLOGIAN JOHN PAVLOVITZ REMINDS US:

WHEN JESUS OFFERS THE PRAYER, “THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN

HEAVEN,” HE REMINDS US THAT AS WE WALK THE ROAD OF ADVENT THE INVITATION IS NOT TO ESCAPE THIS

PLACE TO AN ELEVATED HEAVENLY SANCTUARY SOMEWHERE; IT IS TO BRING HEAVEN DOWN. EMMANUEL

MEANS “GOD WITH US.” IN OTHER WORDS IT IS JESUS COMING LOW.......COMING INTO OUR MIDST, EVEN

FROM THE HIGHEST HEAVENS.....AND THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR US WHO ARE HERE WITH OUR FEET ON THE

GROUND.

TODAY WE’LL SEEK TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW JESUS’ PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL KEEPS US ALL GROUNDED IN

THIS SPECIAL SEASON.......GROUNDED SO WE’RE READY TO RECEIVE JESUS’ OWN BLESSINGS, MAJESTIC MERCIES

AND HIS MOST MAGNIFICENT GRACE AS WE PREPARE FOR CHRISTMAS......

JESUS’ LESSON ON GREED

IN OUR TEXT FROM ST. LUKE THIS MORNING, A REASONABLE REQUEST IS PUT BEFORE JESUS

FROM A PERSON IN THE CROWD REGARDING THEIR INHERITANCE “TEACHER, THE PERSON ASKED, TELL MY

BROTHER TO DIVIDE THE FAMILY INHERITANCE WITH ME”... ....MY COLLEAGUE, NIVEEN SARRAS NOTED:

Fighting over inheritance is a common problem in all societies and cultures. It stresses people out and

divides families.

IT DID SO IN JESUS’ TIMES AND INHERITANCES STILL STRESSES PEOPLE OUT AND DIVIDES FAMILIES TODAY.....

AND PERHAPS THIS IS BECAUSE THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER, GORDON GEKKO FROM THE 1987 MOVIE, WALL

STREET WAS ONTO SOMETHING CLEAR ABOUT OUR CAPITALIST, WEALTH & AMERICAN DREAM SEEKING SOCIETY

WHEN HIS NOW FAMOUS SPEECH DECLARED BOLDLY:

"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good." GREED"captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of

mankind."

Gekko then compared the United States to a "malfunctioning corporation" that greed could still save.

JESUS’ LESSON TO ALL WHO WOULD TREASURE THIS PASSAGE IS DIFFERENT AND DEMANDS A FAITHFULNESS

BEYOND SOME OF OUR CURRENT AND LASTING CULTURAL INTERPRETATIONS...........JESUS WANTS US TO MAKE NO

ROOM FOR GREED, NO ROOM FOR INNER INCLINATIONS THAT WOULD EVEN LEAD TO IT.......JESUS TOLD THE

WHOLE CROWD ON THAT FATEFUL DAY:

“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of

possessions.”

IT WOULD SEEM THIS SPIRITUAL LESSON WAS ONE TAKEN TO HEART BY ONE OF ENGLAND’S LONGEST

SERVING MATRIARCHS…YEARS BEFORE QUEEN ELIZABETH II SERVED 70 YEARS, QUEEN VICTORIA HAD LIVED AND

SERVED THE THRONE THE LONGEST FOR 63 YEARS....AND WITH THE VAST WEALTH, PROPERTIES AND MATERIAL

GOODS SHE HAD HOLD OF DURING HER LIFE.....SHE NONETHELESS WAS ONCE HEARD TO SAY:

The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott Queen Victoria on the Second Coming

Queen Victoria is said to have remarked: “Oh! How I wish that the Lord would come during my lifetime.… I should so love to lay my crown at His feet.”

WHEN WE COME INTO THE ADVENT SEASON WITH JESUS’ LESSON ON OUR HEARTS…REMAINING ON GUARD

AGAINST ALL KINDS OF GREED.......WE MAKE MORE ROOM BELOVEDS, FOR GRACE, GENEROSITY, GIVING AND

GRATEFULLY SHARING.......

ONE WOMAN WHO TRANSFORMED THE SEASON OF ADVENT/CHRISTMAS FROM A SEASON WHERE SHE ONLY

THOUGHT OF GETTING AND THOUGHT LESS OF GIVING REVERSED THAT AND FOUND:

It’s the season of gift giving. I love considering just the right gifts for neighbors, friends, and family.

The part of gift giving I enjoy has little to do with money and everything to do with expression. Each type of

gift communicates something from the giver to the receiver:

A gift that fulfills a need says, “I notice and care about you.”

A gift that’s a complete surprise says, “I know what you need, even if you didn’t know you needed it.”

A gift that can be enjoyed for years to come says, “I want to bless you with future joy.”

A gift that comes with personal sacrifice says, “I love you more than I love myself.”

JESUS’ LESSON FROM THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL

AS THOUGH, JESUS’ WARNING AGAINST GREED WAS NOT ENOUGH....JESUS WENT ON TO PUNCTUATE THAT

LESSON WITH A PARABLE IN OUR TEXT FOR THE MORNING........LUKE 12:16-21

Luke 12:16–21 NRSV

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

THE THREAT IN THE PARABLE IS THAT THE MAN WOULD BE BURIED ALIVE BY GOODS LAID UP FOR MANY YEARS

THE THREAT INCLUDED ALL THE WORRY AND ANXIETY THAT GOES WITH MANAGING MANY GOODS AND MUCH,

MUCH STUFF......

THE THREAT TO THE MAN WAS HE WAS LOSING TOUCH, IF HE HAD NOT ALREADY LOST TOUCH WITH HIS OWN

SOUL.....

ONE COMMENTATOR ON THE TEXT NOTICED SOMETHING ELSE....THE RICH FARMER, MUST HAVE THOUGHT HE

COULD SOMEHOW SAVE HIMSELF… “I WILL DO THIS”.... “I WILL PULL DOWN MY BARNS”..... “I WILL BUILD AND

STORE” .... “I” AND “MY” COME UP AGAIN AND AGAIN IN THE PARABLE......

WHAT’S MISSING FOR THIS MAN OF MEANS IS HOW HE MIGHT BLESS OR INSPIRE OTHERS, HOW HE MIGHT

CONNECT WITH HIS COMMUNITY, WITH HIS WORLD BEYOND HIS BARNS.......

HE HAS INDULGED HIMSELF IN WHAT SOME CALL THE UNHOLY TRINITY.....NOT THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY GHOST,

NOR THE CREATOR, CHRIST AND HOLY SPIRIT.....BUT RATHER THE UNHOLY TRINITY OF HIS CONCERN FOR ME,

MYSELF AND I.........IT IS PRIDE RUN AMOK, IT IS PRIDE WE HEAR IN THE FARMER....BUT PRIDE IN SERVING HIMSELF

RATHER THAN OTHERS.....

THE POPULAR, CONSERVATIVE PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN MARK DRISCOLL DESCRIBES THE UNHOLY TRINITY THIS

WAY:

In the sin of pride, the counterfeit trinity is me, myself, and I. In pride Satan rebelled against God because

he desired to be God. In pride Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit because they wanted to be like God. In

pride we reject God’s wisdom, will, and Word because we think we are a better god.

All sin is birthed out of pride. All virtue, all holiness, and all glory to God are birthed out of humility.

HUMILITY WAS NOT THE RICH FARMER’S CALLING CARD, BELOVEDS.........PRIDEFUL SELF INDULGENCE WAS......

CONCLUSION

WE DON’T WANT TO BE BURIED ALIVE IN THE WAY THE FARMER MIGHT HAVE BEEN IF HE HAD LIVED, BELOVEDS....

ONE THEOLOGIAN TAKES THE LESSON EVEN FARTHER THAT JUST THE FARMER’S PRIDE AND PRIDE ALONE AND

CONCLUDES:

HERE’S THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL: AS WE PLAN FOR THE FUTURE, WE MUST ALSO

LEAVE ROOM FOR GENEROSITY. IF WE FOCUS ON SECURITY AND DON’T SEE THE NEEDS AROUND US, WE’RE

NOTHING BUT RICH FOOLS.....

LET’S LEAVE NO ROOM FOR GREED TO CREEP IN ON US THIS ADVENT SEASON........LET’S LEAVE NO ROOM FOR

PRIDE TO SQUEEZE THE JOY OUT OF GIVING THIS ADVENT SEASON.......OUR BIBLES GIVE US THESE 5 WAYS TO

PLEASE GOD AND AS WE PLEASE GOD WE’LL PREPARE FOR THE CELEBRATION OF JESUS’ BIRTH IN THIS SEASON

WHEN LIFT UP THE HOPE, PEACE, JOY & LOVE

#1 COLOSSIANS 3:2

Colossians 3:2 NRSV

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,

#2 1 Timothy 6:12

1 Timothy 6:12 NRSV

Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

#3 Hebrews 10:23

Hebrews 10:23 NRSV

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

#4 Hebrews 12:13

Hebrews 12:13 NRSV

and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

#5 Jude 21

Jude 21 NRSV

keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

WITH THESE FINAL SCRIPTURAL ENCOURAGEMENTS & JESUS’ OWN ENCOURAGEMENT I CLOSE WITH THIS ADVENT

PRAYER FOR US ALL AS WE BEGIN THIS NEW SEASON....LET US PRAY:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of

this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; THAT WE WOULD NOT BE BURIED

ALIVE IN OUR MANY POSSESSIONS AND that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to

judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you